Our uniqueness should be celebrated, not teased. The story Chrysanthemum addresses having a distinct name and dealing with different perceptions. Pre- and post-reading questions are listed to help your learners understand...

Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our...

After a teacher-led demonstration on the lives and music of Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington, learners write a letter to them which shows their understanding of how a person's life experiences can be reflected in a composer's music. They...

Students complete activities to develop empathy. In this empathy lesson plan, students complete discussion activities and all the related worksheets in order to build their understanding of the concepts to empathy. Students identify a...

There are a lot of myths and misinformation out there about mental illness. Help set the record straight with a resource that debunks the falsehoods and provides high schoolers with accurate and important information about the various...

As part of a study of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, young historians imagine the feelings of those who lived during the attack by creating a word cloud of 10 words they think express the emotions of people at that time....

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students discover philanthropy's role in 4 economic sectors. Students examine how organizations responded to the Hurricane Katrina devastation and work...

Students participate in a role-playing activity which depicts groups that have been persecuted. Using these perspectives, they discuss how it would make them feel and develop empathy for other groups. They write an essay about the...

High schoolers are introduced to the characteristics of autobiographies. In groups, they read Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and develop their own rules for survival in the classroom. They bring in family photos in an...

Explore Chinese culture and customs with your class and allow them time to connect and compare their own experiences with experiences of character a from the short story The All-American Slurp. They create a short presentation on some...

Fifth graders explore the history of the Holocaust during Holocaust Commemoration week. They complete activities that help them explore the feelings of empathy and sorrow for the victims. They complete the activities in a learning center.

Students explore educational opportunities available to people living in a variety of developing and more economically developed countries. They work in groups and research an assigned country and explore how society values education,...

Students develop a sense of historical empathy as they discuss The Holocaust and roll play activities designed to highlight prejudice in today's society.  In this Holocaust history and The Diary of Anne Frank lesson, students...

Students engage in a lesson that focuses on the problem of hunger in the world. They are presented with the concept of being a global citizen. The context of the lesson is the reading of poetry and focusing on the statement "I was...

Students explore ways of dealing with death or grief. They participate in empathy exercises and in small groups discuss how death is perceived in society. In addition, they write a paragraphs in response to provided questions.

Fifth graders, in groups, study the differences between the 13 Original Colonies, then explore the relationship between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Students explore discrimination. In this character education lesson, students define discrimination and discuss instances of it. Students brainstorm methods of encouraging diversity.

Students examine the effects of discrimination. In this American Civil Rights Movement lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to personally feel the effects of discrimination. Students then explore...

Students complete a unit of activities that help them understand homelessness, its causes, and ways to better the situation. For this homelessness lesson, students complete five activities that help them to define homelessness and its...

Students explore Indian marriage customs and culture.They connect and compare their own experiences with the experiences of characters from the short story Diamond Dust and rewrite a scene from the story from another point of view.

Students research philanthropic organizations that helped after Hurricane Katrina. They organize a collection drive to contribute to the nonprofit organization. They reflect on their efforts.

Learners examine the day in the life of a homeless person. In this humanitarian lesson, students examine the life of a homeless person while discovering the importance of social justice in our society.

Can a neon sign be considered art? Kids consider two different works that use neon text as the basis for conveying artistic social messages. They then analyze a truism from Jenny Holzer's web site that holds meaning to them personally....